14 DAY TRIAL // Diablo III is going through some major re-design during its closed beta stage, but at least one Blizzard representative believes that gamers need to manage their own expectation about the game in order to avoid a major disappointment when the title is finally out.
Speaking on the official forums for Diablo III Bashiok, who is one of the community managers at Blizzard, has stated, “I too worry that we won’t be able to meet the expectations people have built up for themselves. Part of my job is managing people’s expectations, so, eh, stop it. Stop thinking about how awesome this game could be.”
The Blizzard representative then went on a movie-related tangent, saying that creating Diablo III was like M. Night Shyamalan making “the sequel to The Village or The Happening,” adding “So just like, lower those expectations, but still definitely buy the game please, and everything will be just fine.”
Blizzard has recently announced how the rune system has been remade, with the extra abilities for items now tied to the actual level and skill of the player, and this is just one of the changes that have been made since the beginning of the year.
The development team has also changed the core character attributes, simplified the skill system and eliminated some of the camp followers, saying that all the changes were designed to make the Diablo III experience simpler to understand.
A limited number of players are now involved in the closed beta stage and Blizzard has not yet said whether it plans to open it up to the general public.
Initially, fans thought that Diablo III would be launched in the fall of 2011, but Blizzard has since pushed it back into 2012, although it seems that it will miss the spring launch season and will arrive at some point during the second quarter.